Key-trapping valve lock for transmitter-supervised sprinkler systems



R. M. HOPKINS Feb. 19, 1935.

KEY TRAPPING VALVE LOCK FOR TRANSMITTER SUPERVISED SPRINKLER SYSTEMS 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original FilegLSept. 12, 1928 CENTEAL OFFICE I A INVENTOB I Rwkm'dMHopkzns,

BY v (b I YATTORNEY Feb; 19, 1935. R. M. HOPKINS 1,991,504

KEY TRAPPING VALVE LOCK FOR TRANSMITTER SUPERVISED SPRINKLER SYSTEMS Original Filed Sept. 12. 1928 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Feb. 19, 1935.

R. HOPKINS 3 sheets-sheet s Origirial Filed. Sept. 12, 1928 .1 a S w fl z m a H v flN I MM w JR? 7 21:3

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 KEYJERAPPING 1,991,504 r v VALVE ndex For: TRANS- jQMITTER-SUPERVISED SPRINKLER SY S-.

'TEMS :RichardM. Hopkins, Rutherfori'N. J., assignor ,to AmericanDistI-ict Telegraph CompanmNew York, N .Y., a gcorporationof New Jersey flriginal applicatiomSepteniber 12, 1928, Serial Divide'd and this application Nomember-.28, 1932, Serial No. 644,701

. scl'aims. (o1. 70-124) This invention relates to key controlled'devices, and more particularly to the key controlled 'valve locks shown in my copendingapplication, Ser; No. 305,465 filed Sept. 12,1928 for Look-type Super- 5 vised keygatevalve'system, of which the present application is a division.

Objects of-the-invention are toimprovejgenerally the simplicity and efiici'ency of such devices and to providedevices or apparatus'es of this kind whichare-reliable, durable and economical to manufacture: d

still other obj ects ofthe invention will appear as the descr-iption proceeds;fand whileherein details of the invention are described, the invention is not limited to these since many and, various changesm'ay be madew-ithout departing from the scope of the invention as claimed;

. "Ihciinventive features for the accomplishment of :theseand' other objects areshown 'herein in connection. with anzi--improved-control apparatus which, briefly Ustated; ma include one ormore sprinkler systems having one or morenormally open main valves. or- Twatr gates each having a keyrqflmiliolled lock scaJrried on the wheel "thereof fiery-locking ;,the valve injnorm'aliy open position, said lock releasing the key only when :said valve is loeked in said normally .openposition and trapping the key-,inthe look when said valveis not insaidnormalposition. 1

T The control apparatus.alsoincludes a transmitter system for sending signals, to accentral office and one or'more stations adapted to-trap the keys, the system inclnding a normally wound transmitter for sending a signal whenever 'akey is. released from any'station. I

1 when no signal has been received showing thata key has beenreleas ed, it isv known-at the centralfoflicethatall the keys-areystill trapped in, the stations and, therefore, that the ,valves are locked I open, since thelkey cannot be released from the lock ei'ccept when the valve is locked open, and if the keys; arei-n the stations the valves must be locked open. 7 M 0 V When fOr any reason, "as for instance, after a fire, it isnn'ecessary to close the valve, 'the,key cannot be. removed from any station without sen in asignal thatlit is released.

Thus-the centrallofii'ce is advised-whenever the key is removed to closea valve; and may then send some one to 'see that all valves are again locked; :open, the 1 keys replaced in the stations and the transmitter rewound. I

Intheaccompanying drawings, showing-byway of eggample, one of many possible embodiments of theinvention,.- r

Figplis a diagrammatic view of the transmitter system; j Fig. 2 is'a transverse vertical sectional view of the switch station; I

Fig.3 a fragmentalbottom plan of the switch. Fig. 4 is a fragmental side elevation showing a sprinkler system with the key-controlled lock applied thereto. Fig. 5 is a. centralvertical sectional view, partly in elevation, showing the valve gate rod and wheel and the lock therefor.

' Fig. 6 is a plan of the wheel and lock;

Fig. '7 is a fragmental bottom plan of the wheel lock, parts being removed; V

8 is an enlarged central vertical sectional view of the valve lockshowing the key untrapped, and'the lock bolt projected in position to lock the valve open; ;Fig. 9 shows a similar section with the lock bolt retracted to unlock the valve, and the key trappedlin-the lock.

' The sprinkler system My transmitter and valve control apparatus are herein shown, by way of examplain connection with one or more sprinkler systems in eluding a supplymain l0 (Fig.4) a riser 11, service-pipes 12 having sprinkler heads 13 and a main water valve or gate 14, though aplurality of gates brother similar or different devices maybe controlled as will appear.

v The valve gate Said :valve or gate 14 is shown as having a seat 15 on which is mounted a bracket 17 (Fig. 5) thereon having a central bore and a boss' 18 around the bore.

t A threaded gate valve rod or stem 20 received in said; central bore is received in ahand wheel 21 having a hub 22 resting on saifd boss and'having a tappedopening alined with said central bore and receiving said stem 20.

The, valve lock An elongated lock housing 23 secured, by screws 24, fast onsai'd hub of the wheel radial tolthe stem 29 1s provided near the/inner end with a vertical bore 25 receiving the stem and near the outer-end with a lock chamber 26 having an upward cylindrical extension 27 surrounded by a boss 28.

Said housingis also provided with inner and outer alined axial bores ,29 and 30 passing into the'chamberand through the ends of the-housing respectively, radial to the stem'20 and, when the valve is open, alined with a bolt receiving recess 31 and in radial to the stem 20.

A locking bolt 35 and threaded guide pin 36 in said inner and outer bores 29 and 30 respectively, are secured fast to a horizontal cam ring 37 in said' chamber 26 and formed with substantially parallel opposite portions 38 (Fig. 7) respectively having inner can faces 39, and bores in which said bolt and pin are secured, the pin having threaded engagement with its bore, while the bolt is held by a set screw 40;

A cylinder lock 42 (Fig. 6) fast in said 6X? tension 27 of the chamber has a cylinder casing- 42a in which is rotatable a pin cylinder 43 provided at its inner end with an eccentric disk shaped cam 44 (Fig. 7) engaging between said faces 39 whereby when the'cylinder isrotated, the bolt 35 is reciprocated.

The key 4511 for the lock is deeply intermediately notched, as at 492) as is usually the case, and said cylinder and the key hole 45 are positioned andconstructed so that its tumbler. 450 will in the position of Fig. 9, engage against the casing- 42 and trap the key when the bolt 35 is retracted and the stem 20 is unlocked, and will release thekey when the bolt is projected and (as in Fig. 8) the stem is locked in open position, whereby the presence of the key exterior to the lock shows that the gate is'locked open;

A closure plate 46 (Fig. 5) closes the chamber 26 and prevents access to the ring 27 and cam 44.

The transmitter system The key or keys which control the lock or, looks 2 also control a key-controlled transmitting system (Fig. 1) comprising an enclosed normally wound supervisory transmitter 50 having an escapement 51,a toothed signal transmitting wheel 52, a ground connection 53 connected-to the wheel, a make and breakjack 54 having a pen 55 engaged by the wheel and a pair of contacts 56, 57 normally bridged by said penand connected by the main circuit lines 58 to the central oflice.

For the sake of clearness, I show a somewhat modifiedor diagrammatic control means for. said transmitter comprising a vibrating pin 60 on the escapement shaft, and a bell crank 61 comprising a normally raised armature 62 and a lower arm 63 provided'with a notch 64 normally receiving the vibrating pin 60 whereby the transmitter is held from transmitting and unwinding.

A spring 65 is shown for yieldably lowering the armature and releasing the transmitter, when the armature isnot held raised by-an electromagnet 68 of a normally closed control circuit normally holding the armature raised and the transmitter inoperative. v I

Said circuit includes a source of current 70, one or more key-controlled switch stations or apparatus 71,-and conductors 72, 73, 74, connecting said magnet 68, source and apparatus in series.

The switch station material, on one of which strips rests a pairof' similar contact plates one plate 82 being shown as hiding the other and having one end portion 83 mounted on strip, and the other end portion 84 off-set to a lower level in thefcontainer, and

having a binding screw 85, said screw 85 and a similar screw in the other contact plate receiving said conductors 72, 73, or 74, passing in through 8 The switch -A' plurality of insulating blocks 90, and contact springs 91, 92 therebetween are mounted on the base, screws 93 and end plates 94 holding the 1 blocks and springs together.

The shorter of'said'contact springs, the springy a 91, is inwardly off-set toform a contact portion 95, and the longer spring 96 is the active or main spring and is engageable with the inner face of the portion and tends by its ,own elasticity and set to move away from the shorter spring I I when left free. 7

A- limiting spring or plate97 mounted against thei'nner face of said shorter spring limitsthe inwardmovement of the spring 91' when main spring 92 moves therefrom.

A pair of contact members-100,

'101 on the lower'face of the panel in engagement with said contact plates 82 respectively are connected by f conductors 103 with said contact springs re spectively- V A cylinder lock 105 operable only by said valve lock key is vertically mounted in said panel 88 with the key receiving end uppermost and has its pin cylinder 106 provided at the lower end below the panel with a disk cam-107 having a deep pee ripheral cam notch 108-receiving an angular cam projection-109 on the spring 92 when the key is in releasing position, whereby when thekey is released bythe' switch the switch is opened by the elasticity and set of the spring 92, the circuit 2 broken, the armature 62 dropped, and signals sent to the central oifice untilthe transmitter 50 runs down. a

retaining position, the portion 110 of the-disk cam engagingsaid projection at said key-retaining.

portion 112 having-end shoulders 113 engageable bya stop, pin 114 mounted in the'panel and proectmg into the cut-away portion between said The-cylinder of said lock is movable key? shoulders for limiting the movement of the disk.

and lock cylinder, the shoulders being so posi t1oned that the cylinder is stopped by one shoulder in key releasing, switchopening position, and by the other in key-trapping, switch closing position;

operation or the system; I 7

Normally the valv ate 14 is locked open and the keys are trapped in the locks of the switch stations. .When any, key is removed, from a lock- 105 to close the gate, a; signal is automatically sent to the central office advising oif this fact;v l

Operation cf the valve control f The valve gate is normally openwith the' parts as shown in Fig. 5', the key being removed and trapped in a switch station lock 105. When the valvegate must be closed," the key is taken trom the lock 105 inserted in the keyhole 45' (Fig. 7); 39 y and turned about 180 degrees, thus withdrawing the bolt and leaving the key in the lock.

This movement withdraws the bolt 35 from the recess 31, permitting the wheel to be rotated to close the valve, causing the recess 31 to move out of alinement with the bolt, thus preventing locking movement of the bolt and key and pre-' venting removal of the key. Thus when the valve is in closed position, the key must be trapped in the lock 42 and cannot be in the switch station lock 105.

When the valve may again be opened, the wheel is rotated to raise the rod 20 and to bring the recess 31 into alinement with the bolt 35 permitting the key and bolt to be actuated to lock the rod and wheel and to permit the key to be removed and replaced in the switch lock.

Operation of the transmitter control Releasing the key If for any reason, as for instance, just after a fire, it is necessary to close the valve gate 14, the supervisory station or oflice must be informed,

and the attendant is compelled to inform the.

oflice before he closes the valve, since it is not possible to remove the key from any switch look without sending a signal.

When it is necessary to remove a key from a switch lock theattendant merely turns the key 7 down, thus sending signals to the central office.

After the fire, the sprinkler heads 13 are closed;

the valves are locked open, releasing the keys; the keys are replaced in the locks 105 and turned to key-trapping, switch .closing position; then the transmitter 50 is wound up, and the system is in order and ready to repeat the operation as above. If desired, some one may be sent from the central oflice to see that all is in order. I

I claim as my invention:

1. In combination, a stationary gate-valve structure having a bore; a threaded gate-valve stem received in said bore and having therein a lateral bolt-receiving recess extending a short distance around and along the stem; a hand wheel engaging said structure when the valve stem is in open and closed positions and having an opening having threads receiving the threads of said stem; a lock housing secured fast on said wheel and provided with a bolt engageable in said recess when the valve stem is in open position and the bolt is projected and key-controlled means for controlling the bolt and adapted to house a key bit in the lock when the bolt is with drawn, and to release the key when the bolt is projected into said recess.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 in which said wheel and the lockhousing fast thereon may beunscrewed from the stem by rotation of the wheel whenever the gate is closed and said bolt withdrawn.

3. Apparatus as inclaim 1 in which said bolt isalways out of register with saidrecess when the gate stem is in closed position.

RICHARD M. HOPKINS. 

